


Take Her Place

by MysticalAuthoress



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Character Death, Escape the Night Season 1 Spoilers, Escape the Night Season 2, Escape the Night Season 2 Spoilers, Escape the Night Spoilers, Gen, Non-Canonical Character Death, Sad Ending, heart ripped out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 05:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17554046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticalAuthoress/pseuds/MysticalAuthoress
Summary: An AU where Gabbie and Alex survive their death challenge, but at a cost.





	Take Her Place

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Escape The Night!!!
> 
> I was rewatching Season 2 when I thought of an alternate scenario to Alex and Gabbie's death challenge. No, it's not a happy one. I apologize for any heartbreak and angst this might bring to you all reading.

_“Alex! Give me another minute, please!”_

Gabbie’s panicked voice rings through the chamber, just as Alex puts his hand on the lever of the steam machine. He _knows_ he’s won, he knows Gabbie is going to die because that’s how this challenge works, but _he needs to live_. He’s helped her out as much as he can, but he also knows he doesn’t want to die.

He doesn’t want _her_ to die, either, but _one of them_ has to.

“I’m sorry,” is all he can choke out, just before he pulls the lever. Steam comes out from the machine, and he closes his eyes, waiting for the worst. He’s seen a lot of deaths happen, and he’s not sure if he can watch another one.

* * *

 

Gabbie _knows_ she’s going to die, but she can’t help but scream in protest as the Promethean nears her. She tries to distance herself, but the large man just grabs her, and she’s screaming still, and—

_“Wait! Stop!”_

It’s Jetpack Girl, the young woman who’s helped her and her friends this whole time, that speaks up, stepping forward and pointing her gun at the Promethean. The Promethean freezes, but keeps his firm grip on Gabbie. Gabbie gasps for breath, looking to the short-haired blonde, seeing the desperation in the other woman’s eyes.

What’s going on?

Cedric looks to Jetpack Girl, glaring. “What is the meaning of this?”

“There has to be another way.” Jetpack Girl stammered, voice trembling. She slowly lowers her gun as she continues. “Cedric, this is _my_ fault. I’m the one who pulled them into this mess, and _she_ doesn’t deserve to die for it. Let me take her place.”

_Take her place…_

_She wants to take_ my _place!?_

No one has done that before now, tonight. No one’s offered to straight-up sacrifice themselves for her or her friends, and now it’s happening.

“No!” Alex chokes out, and Gabbie realizes he’s sobbing. “No, there has to be another way than that! There’s gotta be a way so none of us have to die…”

“No.” Jetpack Girl looks to Alex sadly, putting her gun away. She runs a hand through her short, blond hair, and swallows. “I _have_ to do this. You and your friend can live this way.”

Cedric looks _incredibly_ torn, and Gabbie, despite her earlier anger at him throwing her and Alex into this challenge just so a robot bride can live, can’t help but feel a bit sorry for him. This is his own assistant, willing to give up her life to power that freaky robot bride—if only for Gabbie and Alex to both live another hour. Gabbie isn’t even sure _if_ she and Alex will both make it out (because there’s at least two more deaths happening tonight either way after this gem), but even then…she’s thankful, that Jetpack Girl is giving her this chance.

“Is that what you truly request, Jetpack Girl?” Cedric asks.

Jetpack Girl nods, trying to hold back tears. She looks just as torn as her boss, but Gabbie can see in her eyes that it’s either this, or Gabbie’s dead. “Yes.”

Cedric looks to the Promethean holding Gabbie, and waves him off with a hand. “Let the girl go. Take my assistant instead.”

Gabbie feels herself get nearly dropped to the ground, but she barely manages to hold her balance as Alex lets out a “no!”

Gabbie finds herself screaming Jetpack Girl’s name as the Prometheans take her, hold her down, and rip out her heart within seconds.

* * *

 

Alex can’t tear his eyes away from the sight, even as he runs to Gabbie’s side to make sure she’s okay. Jetpack Girl, who saved them from Cedric earlier during this hour, who helped them hold off the Prometheans from earlier so they wouldn’t nab them while they tried their hardest to bring the automaton bride to life without the use of a real heart (but unfortunately failing), is dying.

He curses the fact that he can’t do a damn thing about it.

He’d gotten fond of everyone still left standing, even if Lauren wasn’t among them right now. Heck, even Alison is pretty trustworthy at this point, and during the short time they’ve had with Jetpack Girl, they’ve grown to trust her.

And now Jetpack Girl is gone. She lies on the ground on her back, as if almost asleep. Her eyes gaze up at the ceiling, forever gazing, but the light that was once in her eyes vanished. Blood seeps from her chest where her heart should be, staining her tunic and the jetpack still strapped to her back even now.

For a second, taking a look at Cedric, Alex sees that the older man might be crying.

“Take them both back to the workshop.” Cedric orders his Prometheans. As said Prometheans make Gabbie and Alex follow them, Alex gives Cedric a hard look.

“She gave up _her_ life, so _your_ bride can live.” He snaps. “Remember that. Remember _her.”_

Alex doesn’t wait for Cedric to respond as he walks out with Gabbie, whose cheeks are stained with drying tears, and he does his best to console his friend that they’re both alive, that things will be okay, but…there were a lot of friends that died. And now someone even sacrificed themselves for people they just met about an hour ago.

Alex isn’t sure if things will ever be alright.

* * *

 

Joey sees Cedric walk into the workshop with a heart.

_Is it Alex? Gabbie?_

But then Alex and Gabbie both walk in, both unharmed for the most part as they’re led by the Prometheans. Both guests look rather forlorn as they rejoin their friends, and Joey isn’t sure why at first.

“Alex! Gabbie!” It’s Andrea that’s heard practically cheering, completely relieved. “You guys are okay!”

Gabbie just breaks into tears, and Tyler hugs a suddenly sobbing Alex.

Joey and Andrea hug Gabbie, and Joey suddenly puts it together that something isn’t right as he looks from Cedric and the heart, and then to his two (still alive!) friends.

“What happened?” Joey asked, looking to Alex, then to Gabbie. Something is very, _very_ wrong. “Whose heart is it if it isn’t you guys?”

“It’s…” Alex starts, then stops. The Novelist just can’t get the words out, doesn’t want to confirm what happened.

Gabbie looks from Alex, to Cedric holding the heart, and then to Joey. The Vaudevillian takes that task to say it out loud.

“It’s Jetpack Girl’s heart. She sacrificed herself for us when I lost the challenge.”

Tyler gasps, his eyes enveloped in shock. Andrea stops cheering, swallowing slowly as she takes in the information. Joey has no clue what to say or do, but all he can think is that it’s his fault that they got put into this damned party to begin with in a way (technically not his fault, but they did all come for him) and suddenly he’s thinking back to his 1920s party where people ended up dying left and right and no one had ever deliberately sacrificed themselves for any of them before. He thought it would be the same, this time around, but…

Jetpack Girl’s dead, and she died so Gabbie Hanna could live.

Joey doesn’t ship the automaton bride and Cedric together as he watches said bride come to life. Even Cedric looks a little sad as he hands Joey the gem and leaves with his bride, and Joey is sure that he knows why that is. 

* * *

 

Later that night, Gabbie, Andrea and Tyler all escape the Victorian Era together.

Jetpack Girl wasn’t the only one that sacrificed herself. Alison ended up doing the same for Andrea during the next death challenge, and then Alex ended up dying in the very last death challenge. Joey would’ve gotten out along with the remaining three, but then the Sorceress stabbed him.

But it’s still a miracle. Three survivors.

It would’ve been two if not for Jetpack Girl sacrificing their heart for her, Gabbie knows, and she swears she’ll make _every second_ of her heart beating count for her.


End file.
